The BFDness of Obamacare continues to roll out

Earlier this week, LOLGOP explained how a component of the Affordable Care Act, lovingly called “Obamacare” by those who understand that our President cares about Americans without health insurance, includes a huge expansion of Medicaid. He also explained how this is free to states for the first two years and they are on the hook for only 10% of the additional costs after that. He also explained how upwards of 670,000 more Michiganders will be covered by health insurance under this expansion of one of the most beloved and efficient government programs that we have.

Here are a couple of other things about it that make it even more attractive.

About a half million more Michigan residents would be covered by Medicaid if the state implements an expansion of the program offered by the federal government.

Some two million people in Michigan who live below the poverty line are already receiving Medicaid to cover hospital and doctor visits, prescriptions and other services. {…}

“If the state implements the expansion, the research indicates the number of uninsured would drop by 46% in Michigan,” says Rachel Garfield, a researcher with the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

Imagine that. Nearly half of those who now utilize emergency rooms for their healthcare would now have access to real medical care. They could actually go to the doctor when they get sick instead of waiting until it has gotten much worse and then going to the emergency room where the costs are ridiculously more expensive. And, by the way, it’s those of us who already have health insurance who pay for that because the hospitals charge a premium for their services in order to cover all of those folks who can’t afford to pay. So your health insurance costs more. Even if your employer pays for your health insurance, that is money that they don’t pay you directly because they are using it to pay for your health insurance.

The Lansing State Journal flagged a new report from a Michigan-based health policy group that found accepting Obamacare’s expansion of the Medicaid program could save the state $983 million in the first decade of operation. In particular, the additional federal dollars to fund mental health services for low-income residents and medical care for inmates will help offset the costs of expanding the program to additional low-income beneficiaries.

So, let’s review:

Nearly half of our uninsured residents now would have health insurance.

The state would save nearly a billion dollars in the first decade.

All of that and Governor Snyder can’t decide if he wants to do it?

Please sign our petition and tell Governor Snyder to move forward with Medicaid expansion in our state. It’s a win-win-win-win proposition for everyone and a great deal for the Great Lakes State.

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Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has admitted to knowing about the poisoning of Flint's drinking water with lead. Despite this, there are STILL Flint residents who cannot drink their tap water without the use of a water filter.

Mitchell Robinson is associate professor and chair of music education at Michigan State University. His research is focused on music education and education policy. Follow him on Facebook HERE and Twitter at @mrobmsu. His own blog is at MitchellRobinson.net.

Tawana “Honeycomb” Petty is a mother, social justice organizer, youth advocate, poet and author. She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and is intricately involved in water rights, digital justice and visionary organizing work in Detroit. You can learn more about Tawana "Honeycomb" Petty by visiting honeycombthepoet.com. She's on Twitter at @CombsThePoet.